Mariachi singer 'El Charro de Oro' among year's top newsmakers

Published 11:21 am, Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Sebastien De la Cruz sings the national anthem before Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Spurs and the Heat. His critics were put in their place.

Sebastien De la Cruz sings the national anthem before Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Spurs and the Heat. His critics were put in their place.

Photo: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

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File - In this Dec. 7, 2013 file photo, livestock huddle as they feed in an open field covered in ice near Corinth, Texas. The ice storm that immobilized the Dallas-Fort Worth area this month slightly improved the drought in parts of North Texas. But while the land in Texas has gotten improved moisture this year, watersheds that feed the Austin and San Antonio areas have not. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File) less

File - In this Dec. 7, 2013 file photo, livestock huddle as they feed in an open field covered in ice near Corinth, Texas. The ice storm that immobilized the Dallas-Fort Worth area this month slightly improved ... more

Photo: AP

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Photo: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

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Photo: Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News

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A reader defends City Council member Carlton Soules against the claim in a recent Express-News column that he is a "bully."
August 28, 2013.

A reader defends City Council member Carlton Soules against the claim in a recent Express-News column that he is a "bully."
August 28, 2013.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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Photo: Abbey Oldham / San Antonio Express-News

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Photo: John Davenport / San Antonio Express-News

Mariachi singer 'El Charro de Oro' among year's top newsmakers

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When it came time to pick our 2013 Newsmaker of the Year, a powerful voice, ripe with poise and maturity, was heard above all the rest.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio native Sebastien De La Cruz, a mariachi singer known as “El Charro de Oro,” drew attention away from the Spurs as they competed for a fifth championship when he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in front of a national audience before Game 3 of the NBA Finals in June.

Dressed in a traditional traje de mariachi, the 11-year-old singer belted out the national anthem, and it didn't take long for mean-spirited, racist messages to spread across Twitter and other social media. Some questioned why a non-American was singing the national anthem, while others resorted to hateful name calling, referencing the singer's ethnicity and wardrobe.

To his credit, De La Cruz reacted positively, thanking his supporters for defending him via the same social media outlets.

He received national attention, including praise from President Barrack Obama, and was invited to sing the national anthem again before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, where he was introduced by Mayor Julián Castro.

The demolition of the former Univision building was seen by some as the destruction of a piece of Latino history. The downtown building, which was sold to developers who plan to construct an apartment building in its spot, is considered by some to be where U.S. Spanish-language broadcasting was born. A small, but vocal, group of supporters, including members of the Westside Preservation Alliance, protested the building's demolition by fighting for injunctions to stop its destruction and later by blocking work crews. Some were arrested, but ultimately the building on César E. Chávez Boulevard was demolished on Nov. 12. Plans for the apartment high-rise building continue.

The District 1 city councilman spearheaded the effort for San Antonio's nondiscrimination ordinance, which led to heated debates and overflow crowds at City Council meetings over several weeks during the summer. The ordinance, which adds protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status to the city code, passed.

Following the vote, Bernal was the subject of a recall campaign that failed to take off.

Spurs fans

As the San Antonio Spurs went deeper into the playoffs, the excitement among fans grew. You could hear it. Literally.

It seems to have started during the second round of the NBA playoffs when the Spurs were playing the Golden State Warriors, and fans, full of excitement and needing an outlet, took to the streets. Driving up and down Commerce Street, and, on some nights, Southwest Military Drive, fans honked their car horns and yelled out windows. Some waved Spurs flags and homemade signs. Some just stood outside their homes and joined their neighbors. All the excitement was captured on social media, where videos and photos of the revelry made the rounds.

Pre-K 4 SA supporters

The 2013 school year was the inaugural year of the voter-approved citywide early-childhood education program.

This year, 700 4-year-olds attended classes at two city centers designated for the program, while 22,400 children are expected to be served during the eight-year life of the tax increase that it funds. Voters approved a 1/8-cent sales tax increase in 2012 to fund Pre-K 4 SA. Conexión talked to supporters and employees of the program before the first day of school, including one teacher who relocated from Nevada to take a job with the program that has received national attention. Earlier this month, Southside Independent School District trustees voted to take part in Pre-K 4 SA next year, making it the eighth district to participate in the program.